Taylor and Monaghan are on for a repeat as the voting hots up

Two winners in last year’s Peterborough Telegraph Sports Awards are on course to strike again.

World kick-boxing champion

Rob Taylor, who runs a thriving martial arts club in the city called TASK (Taylor’s Academy of Sport Karate), won the Sportsman of the Year prizelast year.

And he’s putting up a great defence of the title. Once again he’s getting loads of votes from the local martial arts brigade and is battling it out at the top of the leaderboard with Peterborough Lions rugby star Tom Lewis. Swimmer Myles Robinson-Young and athlete Phil Martin are also doing well.

And Taylor could be on for a double celebration as he’s also polling well in the Coach of the Year category. He faces strong opposition there from football’s Jon Harrison (Netherton United) and Andy Furnell (Yaxley FC).

Amelia Monaghan, the British swimming champion from City of Peterborough Swimming Club (COPS), landed the Junior Sportswoman of the Year award last year and this time round is setting the pace in the Sportswoman of the Year voting.

Pushing her hard at the moment is her COPS clubmate

Kenzie Whyatt. Two former winners of the coveted Sports Personality of the Year accolade - boxing’s

Kevin Sanders and martial arts guru Clifton Findley - are both starting to attract votes for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ian Parker from martial arts is also a strong contender there.

It’s still Netherton United and Yaxley FC mounting the biggest challenge for Team of the Year honours although the Peterborough Panthers speedway team have started to get some support in the last couple of days. And Rob Taylor’s TASK club are up there challenging as well.

Netherton United stalwart

Mark Baines and Peterborough United Ladies star Jess Driscoll have suddenly come into the reckoning for the Footballer of the Year award, and there’s a ding-dong battle going on between Northern Star pair Dylan Enright and Lewis Sharpe and Posh Academy youngster Luca Christoudias for the Junior Footballer of the Year award.

Peterborough City Rowing Club’s British champion Alice Mason is doing well in Disabled Achiever of the Year and in Unsung Hero there’s strong support for Peterborough Rugby Club’s Simon Potter.

Peterborough Panthers, the SGB Championship Fours winners, are starting to get votes for Team of the Year.

Alice Mason is doing well in Disabled Achiever of the Year.

Last year’s Sportsman of the Year Rob Taylor with sponsor Ian Hutchings of Sycamore BMW.

Last year’s Junior Sportswoman of the Year Amelia Monaghan with sponsor Mark Edwards of the Peterborough Telegraph.

Himalayan 100-mile Stage Race winner Phil Martin is getting votes for Sportsman of the Year,